Kodak is probably the largest victim of the digital media revolution, famously missing the boat as the world shifted from an analogue film world (which Kodak dominated) to one made of CCDs and pixels. However film, at least in the motion picture arena, never completely went away, thanks to feverish support from advocates such as Quentin Tarantino…
In this featurette for the release of the film, Quentin Tarantino and others talk about the experience of shooting on 65mm and using the now rare Ultra Panavision aspect ratio.
The Film Theorists take a look at how Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Oscar-winner Birdman achieves the feel of being shot in one continuous take (when it wasn’t). If you’re interested in other truly long take films, check out the opening shot of Orson Welles’ 1958 thriller, Touch of Evil or Alexander Sokurov’s 2002 film, Russian Ark which is the real deal: shot in a single 96 minute Steadicam…
Screenplays are the all-important bedrock for any movie. Great filmmakers may be able to make improvements on the script during production, but it is difficult to overcome a weak foundation. Scripts, like all types of writing, are rarely, if ever, perfect on their first go, however. This is where rewrites come in. Ideally, scripts will emerge…
Anyone who’s worked on a creative project knows that one of the hardest things is managing the review and feedback process, particularly when you can’t always get everyone in the same room. Feedback and direction in emails or on the phone only goes so far. As always, it’s way more effective to be able to show someone what you…
Call sheets are the oil that keeps the machine moving smoothly during principal photography on any film project. While there are probably very few line producers or 2nd ADs who write out call sheets by hand these days, more often than not they are still printed and handed out each day. Or in a more…
There is a long history of literary writers crossing over into screenwriting, whether it be to adapt their own work, create something new, or adapt the work of others. Some of them have made this transition with great success, and have been able to translate their written voice into a visual medium. Many others, however, this transition…
You can probably blame George Lucas‘ overly CGIed Star Wars prequels for the current resurgence of ‘real world’ effects in major films. J.J. Abrahams has made a big deal of it in his first foray into the Star Wars universe, but veteran director George Miller has also created some stunning visuals for Mad Max: Fury Road using similar techniques. Unsurprising, when you consider that the…
Akira Kurosawa is celebrated as one of the greatest film directors in history. He true mastery of the medium is evident in every one of his films. In this video, the guys over at Every Frame a Painting take a look at how use of movement in different planes of a shot elevates a scene from pedestrian to grand master….
Ok, so it’s ‘branded content’ for Kessler Cranes, but garnered a few laughs here as it isn’t actually far off the mark.
